Watchmen: Nite Owl Returns
by John Hawkman
Summary: Taking place seven years after the comic events of Watchmen, showing how things turned out for the costumed heroes, plus Adrian Veidt's revenge scheme...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

November 2nd, 1991

On the outside, the Veidt Industries building in New York stood out among others for its V-shaped top. Inside, it stood out for its incredible advances in science and technology. Today, it was unveiling its latest advancement. Many people had showed up, rival scientists, possible investors, even a few groups of students on a field trip. One man was there to keep tabs on the CEO of the company, Adrian Veidt. He was a short blond man, made up of muscle and carrying a leather briefcase. He walked through the front door of the building, and went through the metal detector.

"Name?" the security guard asked

"Sam Hollis," the man said

"Uh huh..." the guard checked the list, "Company?"

"National Ornithologist,"

"National...ah there it is," the guard tapped the list, "Personally invited by Adrian Veidt. Wow, did you save his life or something?"

"No, I, ah, used to work with him, when he started out," Sam replied, "We always knew he'd be the best of us."

"Awesome. Enjoy the party."

***

Sam walked away from the security checks, glad that the personal invitation meant he could take the briefcase through. As he entered the next room, Sam saw that Veidt had constructed a giant glass stage for the event, with a large object underneath a cover. Many guests were mingling with each other; some were eating snacks from the buffet. Sam ordered a beer from the bar, and started to investigate the room. The last time Adrian Veidt had made an advance in science, half of New York had been destroyed.

"Excuse me, but are you Sam Hollis?" came a voice

Sam turned around, and saw a middle-aged man holding a notebook.

"Yes…" Sam said nervously

"Hector Godfrey, New Frontiersman," the man said, "Didn't you once claim you knew who was behind the alien attack, and didn't you say it was a corporate conspiracy?"

Sam sighed.

"Look, Mr. Godfrey, I was going through some rough times when I said that. My wife and I separated, she took the kids, and then there was that scare about the eagle going extinct…I don't know why I did it…"

***

Soon, the festivities died down, and it was time for the unveiling. Adrian Veidt came up on stage. He was fifty-two years old, but thanks to modern science, he didn't look a day over thirty.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," he said, "It is good to see that so many of you came today. I am pleased to unveil my latest invention, the pride of the R&D department, the dimensional inhibitor."

Veidt pulled off the sheet, revealing a large metal sphere, covered in antennas. The journalists started taking pictures; people were talking on cell phones, trying to be the first to report the news.

"As you all know, I have provided the world with clean energy, battery powered cars, and have ended African famine. But the dimensional inhibitor will provide the entire world with free energy forever."

There was a roar of laughter in the crowd. Sam didn't laugh. He knew Veidt well; if he said he had done something, he had probably done it at least thirty-five minutes ago.

"You'll want a demonstration then," Veidt said, "Very well."

Behind Veidt, curtains opened, revealing a large TV. It was showing a live image of the entire city. Veidt turned a dial, and the lights simmered down.

"Computer, zoom out ten percent every five seconds," he ordered

The TV showed the entire city, then the entire state, then the whole eastern seaboard, and finally the entire world. Veidt turned the dial up, and it went back to full power.

The dimensional inhibitor is a result of my extra-dimensional experiments," he continued, "This device draws the natural energy from our universe and converts it into power."

***

The crowd began applauding at this, the idea of free energy. Veidt grinned; he enjoyed giving to the people. But like Sam suspected, he had a sinister motive. Veidt adjusted the wavelength of the dimensional inhibitor using his remote, and then turned slightly to the left, aiming his watch at Sam.

"Of course," Veidt continued, "There is the occasional discharge…"

Finally, Veidt thought, get rid of the last witness…

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning leapt from the machine over to Sam. It should have killed him in an instant, but Sam was surviving.

"Uurg…!" he growled

The crowd was gasping, screaming in fear.

"What's happening?" Veidt exclaimed

Sam desperately reached down to his briefcase, and gripped the handle. To everyone's surprise, the electricity bolt shot back at the dimensional inhibitor, blowing it up. The power went off, and then the regular generator came on.

"No!" Veidt exclaimed, "That took five years to build!"

Veidt was furious. His perfect murder was outsmarted. He was so furious.

"Try and reverse this, Hollis!" Veidt yelled

He reached into his jacket, and took out a Colt .38. He was about to fire at Sam, when a blast hit him from behind. Veidt fell off the stage, and landed on his gun. Veidt was not a gun expert; he did not know how to take care of it. He had never cleaned it since he bought it, which had been over ten years ago. The impact of landing caused it to fire, right through Veidt's chest. Sam walked up to him.

"Looks like your secret is finally safe," Sam said, "And Veidt, you know my name isn't Hollis…"

Sam pulled off his wig and moustache, revealing his dark-haired true identity.

"It's Dreiberg," he announced, "Dan Dreiberg."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

November 2nd 1991

The police had been called in, and one officer was questioning Dan.

"…you see, I designed the Electric Owl for a quick knockout," Dan explained, "I'd be surrounded by ten or twelve knot-tops, and then I'd switch the Electric Owl on, they'd be on the floor. I took it with me in case anything went wrong with Veidt's invention."

"Did you expect it to?"

"Well, no, but I just don't trust Veidt. I mean, who can judge the world's smartest man?"

"Yeah…anyway, Mr. Dreiberg, you're lucky that President Redford pardoned all Keene Act dodgers. Do you need a ride home?"

"No, I'm good."

***

Dan walked outside, and to the parking lot. A valet came up to him.

"Which car is yours?" he asked

Dan pointed to a lamp post.

"That one,"

Dan took his computer console out, and pointed it at the lamp. Right next to it, there was a slight shimmer in the air, and Archie appeared. He had been slightly altered in the last seven years, updated for the brief period when Nite Owl and Silk Specter worked together. There were visible guns, and a beak at the front where the Screechers came from, plus bulkier armored panels.

"His smooth paint and magnetized hull make him easier to cloak," Dan explained, "I designed it myself."

Dan climbed up the ladder, and sat in the pilot's seat. He retracted the ladder, and pressurized the cabin.

"Preparing for flight," Dan sighed

***

Suddenly, Dan felt a gloved hand on his shoulder. He turned around, and gasped.

"Hello, Daniel," said Rorschach

The shock almost made Dan lose control of Archie.

"Rorschach!" he breathed, "You're…you're…alive! I thought…I saw Jon…he…"

"I know," Rorschach said, in his monotone voice, "Not sure what happened. Suddenly appeared in Veidt's party room. Shot him with empty grapple gun, compressed air charge."

"Did you see what happened to him?"

"Yeah, bullet through remains of heart. Fate was on our side, wanted him out of the way. Pay for crimes against…"

"Rorschach…" Dan interrupted

"Yes?"

"It's good to have you back."

For a moment, Rorschach didn't know what to say.

"…thanks."

Rorschach sat down, and fastened his seatbelt.

"Owlship's running smoother. And there's lot more equipment than last time. Are you using a nuclear power source, something stronger?"

"No…" Dan flicked a couple of switches on the cockpit roof, "I'll show you when we get back to my house."

"Where are you living now?"

"Oh, same place, I bought it when Laurie left."

"What happened with you and Miss Juspeczyk?"

"We were married for a few years, had a couple of kids, but then Jon came back. While he was gone, he created life on many planets, one a race of pacifists. Laurie wanted to raise the kids there, I said that wouldn't be the right way to do it, we had a fight, and the next morning, she was gone, left me a note, saying she wasn't coming back, and she'd taken the kids."

"…right…"

***

The Owlship descended into the abandoned warehouse that Dan owned, and made its way through the abandoned subway tunnel, back to Dan Dreiberg's basement. His basement, his 'owl's nest', had also changed. Instead of the dreary workshop/storage area, Dan had placed several trees in there, along with several sun-lamps. He also had a few owls living in the trees, King Arthur, Morgaine Le Fay, and Merlin. As he climbed out of Archie, Dan slipped his Nite Owl gloves on, and extended his arm out. King Arthur flew down and landed on him, gripping his claws into the hard leather.

"Good boy, King Arthur," Dan said, stroking him

"Daniel, are you going to show me the power source?" Rorschach asked

"Oh, yeah," Dan lifted the glove up, and King Arthur flew away, "You've got to admit, this is pretty cool. I got inspired by that movie that Nixon banned, Silent Running."

"Hurm…"

Dan quickly changed into his Nite Owl gear. It was an update of his last gear. He wore a brown shirt and tights with black briefs, boots, and gloves. His mask was updated, having glowing yellow eyes and larger ears. Nite Owl led Rorschach over to his safe, which was embedded in the wall.

"When Hollis Mason died, he left most of his stuff to me," Nite Owl explained, "Most of it was just some books, a famous picture of the Minutemen, but this…"

He opened the safe, and took out a metal object shaped like a crescent moon.

"…Hollis wore this on his belt every day. This diverted bullets around him, let him see in the dark, and doubled the force of his famous left hook. He said he accidentally took it home after stopping a museum robbery, and when he picked it up, it transformed him into Nite Owl."

"Why doesn't it work on you?" Rorschach asked

"I don't know," Nite Owl sighed, "When Hollis first retired, he tried to give it to me, but it wouldn't work."

"So the power…?" Rorschach growled

"That's how I get my power; I found out that if this is linked up to a rechargeable source, then it fills it up in seconds. It took me months to figure out how to regulate it so it wouldn't melt my batteries."

"You mean ship's battery," Rorschach corrected

"No…"

Nite Owl rolled up his sleeve, and then the layer of skin underneath, revealing complex bionics.

"Underboss came out of his coma," Nite Owl explained, "I didn't have you to help me, and he tore my arm off."

"Is he still out of prison?" Rorschach asked

"No, Laurie was watching from Archie, and set him on fire,"

"…dead?"

"I managed to get him to the hospital in time," Nite Owl replied, "The next place he terrorizes better have air conditioning"

Nite Owl pulled his skin-glove off of his hand, and placed it over the Moon. It instantly recharged.

"Anyway, you want to go upstairs? The Mark of Zorro is on NBC tonight."

"Hurm…TV gives me…Tyrone Power was a…I have a…"

"Come on," Nite Owl grinned, "Maybe you'll enjoy it."

***

As Nite Owl and Rorschach sat back on the couch, preparing to watch a classic film, Adrian Veidt sat in his office in a windowless building, watching them on his personal computer.

"Fools," he growled, "You have no idea what's coming to you…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

November 3rd, 1991

The test pattern on Dan Dreiberg's TV was on.

"Well, what did you think?" Dan asked

Rorschach got up, and adjusted his coat.

"It was OK…"

Dan got up, and stretched out.

"I don't know about you, but I've really got to…"

Suddenly, Dan's living room window smashed open, and a brick flew into his house, breaking a lamp. Dan and Rorschach got up in time to see a gang of Spikers standing in front of the house. Spikers were the 90s version of knot-tops; the knots became uncool years ago, and were replaced by Spikers, who wore cut-off leather jackets, dyed t-shirts, and had their hair styled so that it spiked out. All of them carried chains, and some even carried guns.

"We don't like vigilantes!" yelled the lead Spiker, "Get out of town, Nite Owl!"

"You think those weapons make you men?" Dan yelled, "You're wrong, boys, I could defeat you without any gadgets or weapons!"

"Daniel, I don't think…" Rorschach began

"Come on, gramps; show us what you're made of!" a Spiker yelled

**

Dan walked out the front door, and into the middle of the Spiker gang. One of them dared to attack him, lashing out at Dan with his brass knuckles. Dan grabbed the guy's arm, and kicked at his armpit, dislocating his shoulder.

"Next?" Dan asked

Another Spiker swung his chain at Dan's face, but Dan ducked, sending the chain smacking into the leader's chest. The youngest of the Spikers got nervous, and tried to shoot Dan. As he lifted up the gun, Dan twisted it around, and gripped it tightly.

"Go ahead, pull the trigger," Dan grinned

The Spiker looked directly into the gun's barrel, and started to cry, so Dan threw the gun on the ground, and let the kid run away.

"Anyone else…?"

One Spiker snapped his fingers, and about twenty more Spikers appeared.

"Since you guys get back up…" Dan said, "Hey, Rorschach! Can you give me a hand?"

"Rorschach?!" the lead Spiker exclaimed, "I thought he was dead?"

Rorschach walked out of Dan's house, took out his grapple gun, and shot the nearest Spiker in the chest. Blood splattered onto the pavement, and when Rorschach pulled on the gun, most of the guy's ribcage came out.

"Get out of here!" yelled the lead Spiker, clutching his chest

**

Dan walked back inside.

"I forgot how fun this was," Dan grinned, "Let's take Archie out, and go bust some Spikes."

"What about people trashing your house?" Rorschach asked

"Got it covered."

Dan reached to his belt buckle, and opened it up. Armored shutters slid down over the windows and doors in the building.

"You'll need a cruise missile to get through it," Dan explained, "I designed it myself. It uses a proton-enhanced carbon…"

"Daniel, less talk, more action," Rorschach growled

**

Dan and Rorschach walked into the kitchen, and Dan pulled open his secret door. It looked like an empty closet, but then Dan slid the floor aside, revealing stairs.

"I'm getting rid of this," Dan decided, "its pointless now."

Rorschach reached into his coat pocket, and took out his spotless gloves. Dan walked into his Owl's Nest, and entered his locker room. He emerged in an armored version of his Nite Owl suit, armored shirt, briefs, and pants, along with a hardened-leather version of his cowl. Hollis Mason's moon was mounted in the middle.

"What are you doing?" Rorschach growled

"Remember how I said I should teach you how to fly Archie?" Nite Owl said, "It's time. I'll be flying alongside you in the Owl-Suit."

"Hurm…"

**

Ten minutes later, Rorschach was steadily piloting Archie over the city. Nite Owl was flying alongside him, his bronze wings extended out, bright blue lights coming from the heels of his boots.

"You're doing well, Rorschach," Nite Owl replied, "I've picked up reports of a computer factory robbery on the East Side. Are you up for it?"

Rorschach slid the armrest lever forward, and turned the steering wheel slightly to the right. The ship tilted slightly, and began to change course.

"Hey, Rorschach, while you're up there…" Nite Owl adjusted his stabilizers, "…what was it like being dead? I mean, do you remember anything?"

"Dr. Manhattan in the snow, then a bright light, and then I was on the stage."

"So there's nothing else?" Nite Owl asked, "You didn't see anyone…God…maybe…Vishnu…Allah?"

"God didn't kill me, fate did," Rorschach replied, "I don't know who brought me back, why they did it, or even if they have a reason. I need to take advantage of it, remind the city built on sex and murder that I am back."

**

The computer factory was now on fire, and the police band was reporting three people trapped inside.

Rorschach walked to the center of the cockpit, and kicked the floor exit open. He then leapt down over the factory, and fired his grapple gun at the last minute. The rusted, bloody hook sunk right into Archie's smooth black panels, and just in time Rorschach stopped in mid-air, suspended. Nite Owl was mortified; he had spent weeks installing those panels, and now would have to do it all again. Still, he wouldn't bring it up with Rorschach; even though he was in an armored battle suit, armed to the teeth, and able to take down a Rhinoceros without breaking a sweat, Rorschach still scared him. Maybe that was why he had come back from the dead. The very idea made Dan shiver.

"OK, let's get inside. Pray to God we can save those poor people…"


	4. Chapter 4

November 4th, 1991

Nite Owl increased the air-conditioning in his suit, and flew right above the burning factory.

"I've tracked down the people into the processor installment wing," Nite Owl informed, "It's a few feet away from you."

"Got it," Rorschach replied

Rorschach swung from side to side, and began to position himself to jump. Rorschach remembered his PE coach telling Walter Kovaacs that he could have become a national-ranked boxer, probably the heavyweight champion. Coach Raymond had been very disappointed when Walter had announced he was dropping out. Walter had felt like there was a higher calling, like he was meant to do better. After eight years of hard work in a garment factory, he had found it. Rorschach had trained with the police, but after finding corruption within the force, he quit. He also tried training to be a professional boxer, but had been told he was too aggressive. It was only once he became Rorschach that he felt right, at peace with himself. The burning feeling inside, of being surrounded by prostitutes and murderers, the dregs of society, seemed to go away when he put on his mask and targeted criminals. Rorschach swung a bit further, and then pressed the button on the side of the gun. The wire snapped, and Rorschach went swinging into the building. Nite Owl lowered the speed on his wings, and descended right into the collapsing structure.

The roaring fire, the smoke, and the fire alarms heavily impaired Nite Owl's senses.

"Daniel, I can't see anyone," Rorschach growled

"Me neither…" Nite Owl reached to his belt, and slid a pair of heat vision lenses over his eyes. There were no people there, "There's a heat generator, which must have made me think…"

"Correct, Dan…" came a voice

The smoke and fire cleared, and the alarms turned off. Rorschach drew his grappling gun.

"I know that voice…" he growled

"Yes, Rorschach," Adrian Veidt said, "I thought I could lure you here."

"But you're dead!" Nite Owl exclaimed

"No, Dan, that was I from another universe," Adrian continued, "I used the dimensional inhibitor to retrieve the Adrian Veidt from another universe, and switched places. The Veidt of that universe has tried to kill Dan Dreiberg for a while. I gave him the opportunity, but he failed."

"So what's your plan?" Nite Owl asked

"The dimensional inhibitor can summon anyone who I wish," Adrian explained, "I'll leave you with my worst…"

Adrian's voice ceased, and there was a flash of lightning. Suddenly, Six knot-tops, Moloch, and four genetically mutated lynxes appeared, preparing to strike. Moloch waved his hands, and summoned a ball of fire. The knot-tops pulled out their chains and guns.

"Daniel, we need to…"

"I've got it covered."

Nite-Owl twisted his crescent moon, and activated a force field around him and Rorschach.

"This only lasts for a couple of minutes, so we need to use it wisely," Nite Owl said, "You need to distract them while I get back-up."

Nite Owl reached to his belt, and handed Rorschach a package.

"These are custom made grapple hooks. Use them."

Rorschach tore the package open, and reached inside. He loaded one of the hooks onto his grapple gun, and shot it out at the knot-tops. They were immediately tied up in a net.

"Good, good," Nite Owl tapped at his portable console, "I just need a few minutes."

Rorschach fired the second hook, and it formed a shield. Rorschach then deflected the blasts from Moloch's fireballs, sending them at the lynxes.

"Abra kadabra!" Moloch yelled

Suddenly, the knot-tops were released from the nets, and started to glow orange. Rorschach fired the third hook at them, a missile hook, but it was useless. It burnt up before it could get closer to the knots.

"Almost there…" Nite Owl said, "…got it!"

There was another flash of light, and this time, a blue-suited man leapt down from the ceiling, and hit the ground. His eyes glowed orange, and he carried a strange silver gun. On his back was a strange symbol, like a bug, maybe some kind of beetle. A blue man with a beetle symbol…

"Hey Dan," the guy said

"Hey Ted," Nite Owl replied

Ted lifted up his gun, and fired blasts of air from his gun directly at the knots, blowing them out. He then turned to Moloch.

"I should warn you," Moloch said, "Any blasts headed towards me will be reflected by this shield."

Moloch raised his hands, and formed an unclear shield. Ted switched the setting on his gun, and fired a blast of light in Moloch's direction. Moloch fell to the ground, and groaned.

"Rorschach, meet my friend Ted," Nite Owl said, "I met him four years ago in my dimension travelling."

"You? Travelled dimensions?" Rorschach asked

"I didn't spend another seven years listening to records and getting fat," Nite Owl replied

"Hey, Dan," Ted interrupted, "I need to get back to my own universe. I've got a doctor's appointment, and then I'm going to hunt down the guy who's been stealing my money. When I find him…"

Ted lifted up his gun, and aimed where someone's head would be.

"Pow…"

"What are you going to do if he has some kind of weapon?" Rorschach interrupted, "Like an 'orbiting mechanical attack cannon'?"

"Like I said, shot to the head," Ted grinned

Ted left through the dimensional rift, and Nite Owl and Rorschach began tracking down Adrian. They were up in Archie, accessing Nite Owl's computer.

"I told you getting a computer up here would help," Rorschach said

"Yeah…"

Nite Owl walked into the cockpit, wearing shorts and a fabric mask. He was sweating, after being shut up in the suit for an hour.

"What did you think of Ted?"

"Weird man," Rorschach growled, "He fights just for fun, no dedication to wiping out crime. Possibly…"

"Rorschach, he's a parallel version of me!" Nite Owl exclaimed

"Hurm…let's just start thinking. What kind of world would Adrian Veidt go to?"

"Don't need to," Nite Owl clicked on a computer icon, "I just remembered, I can track the radioactive isotope Veidt left when he dimension jumped. I never thought I'd have to use it again."

"When did you use it last?"  
"I had to help Ted get back to his own dimension…ah, here we go."

The computer screen showed its results: Adrian Veidt of the Watchmen Universe had been to 117 different parallel dimensions.

"Never find him now…" Rorschach kicked one of Archie's walls.

"That's why I installed a time tracker."

Nite Owl tapped a switch, and the universes were listed in order.

"Universe…414," Nite Owl noted, "I don't like that universe. Fascist England rules the world."

"Why would Adrian go there?"

"Probably to help out…"

Nite Owl descended down to the factory, all armored up, and hooked up the dimensional inhibitor to Archie's computer. It tore open a portal, and the two of them leapt through…


	5. Chapter 5

November 5th 1997…

Nite Owl observed the parallel universe. Posters on the wall saying faith came through purity. Cameras were on every streetlamp, and there was no one on the streets.

"So, according to my scanners…" Nite Owl looked at his gauntlets, "…Adrian arrived a while ago. He should be…"

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. Rorschach was thrown off his feet. Big Ben had been the target, looking like a giant burning candle. Moments later, a stream of fireworks shot into the sky.

"Is that supposed to be an arrow?" Nite Owl asked

"What are you, dense? It's supposed to be the letter…"

"This is where the radio signal came from," growled one man, "We've got them!"

Rorschach turned around, and saw two policemen running towards them. One officer pulled out a gun, but one slap from Rorschach and the gun fired into the other officer's head. Before the blood splattered to the ground, Rorschach stabbed him in the eye with a potato peeler.

"Stop stealing from my kitchen!" Nite Owl groaned, "If you want a knife, I'll lend you the money!"

Thirty minutes later, they had found Adrian's last known location. They had to break into an abandoned subway station and walk across several tracks, but they were there, inside a large room with several large posters of classic films, and a jukebox.

"This doesn't seem like him," Nite Owl noted

"Agreed," Rorschach growled

Nite Owl removed his cowl, and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"I hate to think what Adrian's done now," Dan said, "Last time, he tried to destroy New York. Maybe now he wants to destroy an entire universe."

Dan looked on a shelf, and saw five bullets, each of them labeled.

"Hollis, Gardner, Blake, Jupiter, Muller," Dan read, "The minutemen."

Next to them were an address book, and a rather large gun.

Suddenly, the front door opened, and a man entered, wearing a black cloak, a smiling white mask, and a pilgrim hat. Dan reached to his laser gun, but before he could fire, the man grabbed a nearby dish, and threw it in his direction, knocking Dan down. He then leapt forward, punched Rorschach in the face, and crushed Dan's laser. Unfortunately, Nite Owl had upgraded his laser, using a more unstable power source. The laser exploded on the man's foot, and knocked him down.

"Rorschach, are you OK?" Dan asked

"Fine…" Rorschach got up, and put his hat back on, "Who is that guy?"

Nite Owl walked towards the man, and pulled off his mask.

"Ugh…" he said, "I think…I think it is Adrian. But he's…not Adrian. Someone must have been very cruel to him, he's all bruised, and beaten, and…ugly…"

Suddenly, Adrian's eyes opened, and he leapt up.

"You!" he exclaimed, pointing to Dan, "And you!"

"Adrian…" Dan began

"You screwed up my calculations! If it hadn't been for you, I would have arrived here on time!"

"But Adrian…"

"Ten years! I've been here for ten years! I was thrown into this universe, no dimensional inhibitor controls, no weapons, nothing! Do you know what they did?"

"Could you…?"

"They locked me up! Just for whom I am! They didn't even recognize me! They'd never heard of Adrian Veidt, or Ozymandias! And they didn't just cage me, they experimented on me! Look what I've become…"

"Adrian could you please put the mask back on!" Nite Owl yelled, "I can't stand to look at you!"

"But now I've figured it out! The Minutemen! That's where it all went wrong! I'm going to destroy them before they destroy us!"

Adrian reached to the shelf, and grabbed his gun, and the bullets.

"I don't have access to much," Adrian grinned, "But I finally have enough power to open a small hole in any five dates in our universe!"

Adrian switched on the gun, and it fired out a blue projectile, which activated a quarter-sized hole. Rorschach prepared to attack him, but Nite Owl casually placed his hand out, and warned him not to.

"I'm going to shoot Hollis Mason first!" Adrian grinned, "On his police academy graduation!"

Adrian fired the bullet right through the portal, and then looked disappointed. He thought that things would instantly start changing. He fired the other four bullets through their respective portals, but nothing happened.

"I should be somewhere else right now," Adrian said, "What could have gone wrong?"

"Uh…I saw those bullets on the shelf, and I wanted to see if they were real, so I used my magnet on them. Then I reset the destination, just to be sure…"

"Where are they going?"

Suddenly, blood came splattering out from Adrian's mid-section, and he screamed. A bullet fell to the ground in front of him, and was soon followed by four more. When Adrian fell to the ground, there was a small portal behind it.

"What do we do now?" Rorschach asked

"Remove his clothes and take pictures."

"Really?"

"No! We go home!"

Dan picked up Adrian's gun, and unplugged it. He grinned, took out some wires, and hooked up the gun to Hollis Mason's moon. The gun fired out a portal, and Dan adjusted it. It showed the rebuilt buildings, more modernized. The remote control for the dimensional inhibitor confirmed it as the correct universe.

"Rorschach, leave Veidt, and…well, we'd better leave a note"

Rorschach pulled out a notebook, and wrote something down. He then placed it on Veidt's mask, and put it back on Veidt's face.

"Give me a Viking funeral…" Dan read, "Yeah, that'll work."

They walked back into New York of their own universe, exactly where they had left. Police and fire crews were everywhere. One policeman approached Nite Owl.

"What happened here?" he asked

"Gas leak," Nite Owl lied

"Oh. OK."

"Archie, down," Nite Owl ordered, speaking to his gloves.

Archie's ladder descended, and Nite Owl leapt up to catch it. Rorschach attempted to jump, but he couldn't. He wasn't strong enough.

"Hurh…hurh…" Rorschach breathed

He pulled off his mask, and Nite Owl gasped. Underneath, it was not the Rorschach he knew; this one had leathery skin, grey hair, and a bald spot.

"Daniel, I…"

Rorschach grabbed his heart, and held onto a metal railing in the wall.

"Emergency!" Nite Owl yelled, "We need a doctor!"

Nite Owl leapt down from the ladder, and a small crowd ran towards him. Was this the demise of the famous Rorschach? The one who forced Charles Manson to his vinyl records? They had to know…


	6. Chapter 6

November 8th 1991…

Rorschach had been admitted to the hospital under his true name, Rorschach, instead Walter Kovaacs, and his condition had baffled the doctors. Dan sat by his bed, in his civilian identity.

"Thanks for coming, Dan," Rorschach groaned, "Have they figured out what's happened to me?"

Dan had figured it out. He had looked through Veidt Industries records for any anomalies, and had found one. Veidt Industries had invested a lot of money into biological research, and had cloned Rorschach, in an attempt to distract Nite Owl. Trouble is, they couldn't solve the rapid aging. But Dan knew Rorschach wouldn't be able to stand the fact that he was a clone, because of his religious views.

"You were brought back by Dr. Manhattan," Dan lied, "He actually froze you instead of killing you. But all the years in cryogenic suspension messed up your cells, so you're aging too fast. The doctors say you only have a week to live, if you're lucky."

"Hurm…" Rorschach lifted himself up, "Well. I guess it's time to pass this on."

Rorschach reached into his coat, and took out his mask.

"I always hoped I would find a successor, someone who would continue the Rorschach name. If you ever find anyone, a true American who refuses to compromise…"

"I'll give them the mantle," Dan said

"…and, don't just give it to them. Make sure they want to do it."

"I will…"

"I'm sorry I'm leaving the team," Rorschach growled, "This makes you the last hero..."

Rorschach's eyes closed, and he breathed out heavily.

"Goodbye Dan…" he groaned, "Have a good life. And remember…never compromise…"

Rorschach's heart monitor let out a loud bleep.

"Help!" Dan yelled, "Help!"

At once, the doctor walked in, with a team of nurses. They attempted to get Rorschach's heart beating again, but it was unsuccessful. It was too much for Dan; he walked out, on the verge of tears…

One Year Later…

Dan sat in his basement, in front of his supercomputer. It had four screens, each displaying a different part of the city. King Arthur flew down onto his leather shoulder pad. Next to him stood the vigilante he was training, a girl dressed in black known as The Raven, but also known as Nell Gardner.

"Now, we can start finding Nixon's hidden warheads by…"

Nite Owl was cut off by his radio squawking. He answered it.

"Hello?"

"It's me,"

"OK…" Nite Owl typed in a command on the keyboard, and the basement door opened.

A muscular man in an overcoat walked down. He was very strange looking; he had red hair and a face full of zits. Anyone would mistake him for a nerd, which was his motivation for buckling down and converting his weight from fat to muscle.

"Hey Seymour," Raven said

"Hey Nighty," Seymour grinned

"Shouldn't you be in costume?" Nite Owl asked

Seymour reached to his overcoat, and took out a white cowl. He slipped it over his face, and the ink swirled around.

"Did you find Nixon's stuff?"

"Yep," Nite Owl, "Raven, you and Rorschach have to go to talk to Jimmy the Squeal, down at Happy Harry's bar."

"You got it," Rorschach walked to the subway tunnel, and stood on his hover scooter, "You want anything while I'm out?"

"No thanks…"

Dan walked over to his private room. Neither Nell nor Seymour was allowed in there. It wasn't anything dangerous, it was just something Daniel found embarrassing. In the room was a table with seven places, which Daniel meant for a meeting place for the Crimebusters. He had kept it locked since the failed meeting, but he had seen the surge in recent crime fighting activities. A green man in Coast City had foiled a rogue missile by using a giant green net, which people said came from nowhere. There had been reports of a college student in New York who was climbing walls. Dan had sent them recruitment letters. No one could replace the fallen Minutemen and Crimebusters, but there was still a chance to save humanity. They just needed a name. Some kind of league, dedicated to Justice…


End file.
